CVE-2026-20609VulnerabilityPublished 11 Feb 2026Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2026-20609: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to a denial-of-service or potentially disclose memory

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.4 Medium : upgrade to 26.3 or 18.7.5 when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.4Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 3% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 26.3, 18.7.5, 15.7.4 +1

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade iOS and iPadOS to 26.3 or 18.7.5; macOS to 26.3, 15.7.4 or 14.8.4; tvOS and visionOS and watchOS to 26.3.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
AppleiOS and iPadOS	Affected <18.7.5 <26.3	Fixed in 26.3 18.7.5
ApplemacOS	Affected <14.8.4 <15.7.4 <26.3	Fixed in 26.3 15.7.4 14.8.4
AppletvOS	Affected <26.3	Fixed in 26.3
ApplevisionOS	Affected <26.3	Fixed in 26.3
ApplewatchOS	Affected <26.3	Fixed in 26.3

AI-suggested

Organizations and users should prioritize updating affected Apple devices to the patched versions: iOS and iPadOS 18.7.5 and 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, Sonoma 14.8.4, Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and watchOS 26.3. Restricting the opening of files from untrusted or unknown sources can reduce exposure to maliciously crafted files. Employ device management policies to enforce timely OS updates and restrict installation of unauthorized applications or files. Educate users on the risks of opening suspicious files and encourage cautious behavior regarding unsolicited attachments or downloads. Implement network-level protections to detect and block delivery of malicious files where possible. For high-security environments, consider additional monitoring for abnormal application crashes or memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Regularly review and audit device configurations to ensure compliance with security best practices.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.5 and iPadOS 18.7.5, iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3. Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to a denial-of-service or potentially disclose memory contents.

Impact

The vulnerability poses a risk of denial-of-service, which can disrupt device availability, potentially impacting users who rely on Apple devices for critical communications and operations. The potential disclosure of memory contents could lead to leakage of sensitive information such as credentials, encryption keys, or personal data, undermining confidentiality. While exploitation requires user interaction and local access, targeted attacks against high-value individuals or organizations could leverage this flaw for information gathering or disruption. Enterprises with large Apple device deployments, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, could face operational impacts and data exposure risks. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate widespread threat but does not eliminate the risk of future exploitation. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Apple platforms, increasing the scope of potential impact across mobile, desktop, and emerging device categories like visionOS and watchOS.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 02:47 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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